Weekend Words

 From Beside the Still Waters...

Living the Dream - Read: Psalm 125, 126

"When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream." - Psalm 126:1

I had never before met the young man behind the counter.  Along with the normal pleasantries when meeting someone, I asked him, "How are you?"  His answer was very unexpected and caused me much reflection.  He said, "I'm living someone else's dream.  How about you?"  It took me a moment to comprehend his meaning.  I answered, "Yes, we surely are blessed, are we not?"

A large portion of the world's population can only dream of living in the comfort and affluence of western culture.  One writer cited the following statistics: 16% of the world's people have no clean water for drinking, cooking or bathing; 17% earn less than $1.25 per day - if they can find work; 80% earn less than $10 per day; and only 1% earn more than $34,000 per year.  Also, 60% have no access to modern bathroom facilities, and 91% do not own a personal vehicle.

So yes, we are greatly blessed materially.  But far greater still are the spiritual blessings of those who have been born again by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and are living in obedience to the gospel from day to day.  Psalm 126 probably refers to the Jewish exiles' return from captivity as described in Ezra 1.  So great was their joy and gladness that they were "like them that dream."  They could hardly fathom God's goodness and mercy to them.

If we live in a wealthy country, we truly are living someone else's dream.  Let's be sure that we are responsible to use our resources to the honor and glory of our great God.

Lamar Garman - Stevens, PA

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ." - Ephesians 1:3

From Be Still and Know...

"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform." - (Romans 4:20-21)

One day God revealed to Abraham that he and Sarah were to have a son.  Abraham knew it was physically impossible.  Humanly speaking it could not be.  But it was not in human hands.  Someone has said, "Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible.  There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible.  Faith begins where man's power ends."

Abraham was strong in his faith, for its basis was not God's promise to him, but the God who had given him the promise.  Abraham, when hope was dead within him, went on hoping in faith, believing that he would become "the father of many nations."  He relied on the word of God which definitely referred to "thy seed" (v.18, Phillips).  Without the God of Abraham, the faith of Abraham was nothing.  From the human viewpoint, not one promise given Abraham was logical or possible, but he didn't limit God to what seemed reasonable.  He believed God was able.  It is as easy for God to do a difficult thing as an easy one.  The strength of his faith was his confidence in God's ability.

We, too, are to "walk by faith, not by sight."  Many times we face circumstances beyond human possibility.  There is no way out for us.  We may not be able to see where God is leading us, what He is doing, or why.  But Abraham's God is our God.  He who did the impossible for Abraham will do the same for us.

It is not the degree of our faith that is important but the object of our faith, God Himself.  It is not great faith we need, but faith in a great God.  By faith we put our dependence and reliance upon God.

One of the tribes in Africa spoke of faith as "leaning on God."  Sometimes we lean so heavily on earthly props that God has to remove them until there is nothing on which we can lean but God.  Then we learn we can put our entire weight on Him and find that He is enough.  Someone has said, "Faith is our weakness leaning on God's strength."